THE HUMAN BRAIN

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(No Transcript)
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Why dont we laugh when we tickle ourselves?
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Some believe that laughing caused by tickling is
a built-in reflex-- even babies do it. In order
for tickling to work, the brain needs tension
surprise. When you tickle yourself, there is no
tension or surprise. There is some evidence
that the cerebellum may be involved in this
phenomenon. In effect, the cerebellum informs
the area called the somatosensory cortex what
sensation to expect (it's just you.don't get
excited), which diminishes the tickling
sensation.
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THE HUMAN BRAIN
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Cerebrum

• thinking
• humor
• memory
• learning
• reading and language
• voluntary muscle movement
• interpreting the senses

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Processing Time

• Humor is hard to define, but we know it when we
  see it.
• One theory suggests that humor consists of
• surprise - we don't end up where we thought we
  were going
• reinterpretation of what happened to make it fit
  the new perspective

Humor is interpreted by the right frontal lobe of
the brain
People with damage to their right frontal lobe
don't get jokes. Typically, this is because
they have trouble with the reinterpretation stage
of the process. For instance, given a joke with
a choice of punch lines, they can't tell which
one is funny.
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• Humor plays a powerful role in human life, and it
  has wide-ranging effects.
• Humor can
• emotionally unite people
• help us cope with daily stresses
• fight depression
• boost the capabilities of the immune system

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MEMORY BANKS

• Momentary memory bank
• Short-term memory bank
• Long-term memory bank

learning
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MOMENTARY MEMORY ACTIVITY

• Jot down 20 random single digits (from 0 - 9)
• Find a partner.
• Partner A divulges a single digit at a time.
• Partner B recalls all the numbers, starting from
  the beginning,
• adding the new digit last.
• Example
• Partner A One
• Partner B One
• Partner A Eight
• Partner B One, eight
• Continue until Partner B messes up.
• Record the number of digits he/she WAS able to
  remember
• without messing up.
• Switch roles.
• Collect class data.

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NUMBER OF DIGITS REMEMBERED NUMBER OF DIGITS REMEMBERED NUMBER OF DIGITS REMEMBERED NUMBER OF DIGITS REMEMBERED





Average ? Average ? Average ? Average ?
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TRANSFERRING INFORMATION FROM MOMENTARY TO
SHORT-TERM MEMORY
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• Study the following for one minute

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You have 30 sec. to write down as many objects
you can remember!
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What were some of your tricks?
All those tricks you described are common
methods for committing information to memory
(learning)
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Process Time

• the period which elapses between start finish
• - recognition - memory retrieval - output

Stroop Effect
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Cerebellum

• controls balance
• works with the cerebrum
• to produce smooth,
• controlled, muscle movements

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try to outsmart your foot

• 1. While sitting at your desk in front of your
  computer, lift your right foot off the floor and
  make clockwise circles with it.
• 2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in
  the air with your right hand.. Your foot will
  change direction.

You cant do it. It's pre-programmed in your
brain!
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Pituitary Gland

• makes and stores
• hormones
• oxytocin
• prolactin
• FSH and LH
• growth hormone
• endorphins

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Hypothalamus

• recognizes anger
• recognizes thirst
• recognizes hunger
• recognizes fatigue
• regulates body temperature

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Pineal Gland

• makes and secretes melatonin, which regulates
  bodily rhythms, including
• biological clock (sleep/wake cycle)
• seasonal changes

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Pons

• maintains consciousness and sleep
• controls breathing

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Medulla Oblongata

• controls breathing heartbeat
• relays messages to spinal cord
• controls reflexes
• sneezing
• coughing
• swallowing
• sucking (in babies)
• vomiting